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Dahi Vada

Dahi Vada, or Dahi Bhalla Chaat, is soft lentil fritters that are deep fried and served with dahi, chutneys, and spices to make chaat! It's a delicious appetizer or a side dish to accompany a meal at parties or Indian festivals.

This chaat is served with a tablescape of other appetizers, or it can be served as a side dish in place of raita. It's especially popular for parties, or during festivals with other festival foods.

Lentils - For the lentils, use a 2-to-1 ratio of urad dal (split matpe beans without husk) to moong dal (split moong beans without husk). Some people also do 50-50 or 4-to-1 ratio. It really depends on your preference. My mother also sometimes does a cup of urad dal, ¼ cup of moong dal, and a ¼ cup of black eyed peas for larger batches.

cook Time: 4H 3o mins

Ingredients

– ½ cup urad dal – ¼ cup moong dal – 1 tablespoon ginger, grated – ¼ teaspoon salt – ¼ teaspoon black pepper – neutral oil, for frying – 1 ½ cup dahi – ¼ cup cilantro-mint chutney – ¼ cup imli chutney – ½ teaspoon chili powder – ½ teaspoon chaat masala – ½ teaspoon ground cumin

1

Soak the urad dal and moong dal in twice the amount of water in separate bowls overnight, or for up to four hours. Rinse the dals after soaking. Grind both of them in a blender until smooth. Add the salt, ginger, and black pepper.

2

Whisk the dals together until combined and to aerate the batter. Test a bit of the batter in a bowl full of water to see if it floats to the top immediately. If it doesn't, continue to whip the batter to add more air.

3

Heat a pot of neutral oil on low to medium heat until 315°F. Take a tablespoon scoop full of batter and carefully transfer it to the hot oil. 

4

Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side, then drain it of oil.

5

Transfer the freshly fried vadas to a bowl of warm to hot water to soak for 20-30 minutes. Flip them half way. After the soaking time, carefully squeeze out the excess water from each bhalla between your hands.

Assemble the chaat - whisk the dahi until fully smooth. Transfer the vadas to a serving platter and cover it in dahi. Top with with cilantro-mint chutney, imli chutney, chili powder, chaat masala, and roasted ground cumin

Enjoy!!

More dal Recipes

Whole Masoor Dal

Kala Chana Masala

Chole (Chickpea Curry)